Definition of 'funk'
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present tense funks, present participle funking, past tense funked
1. uncountable noun
2. variable noun
If someone is in a funk, they are frightened, especially because they are in a situation they cannot control.
[old-fashioned]
Collins COBUILD Advanced Learner’s Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word Frequency
funk in British English 1
noun
2.
a coward
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
funker (ˈfunker) noun
Word origin
C18: university slang, perhaps related to funk2Word Frequency
funk in British English 2
Word origin
C17 (in the sense: tobacco smoke): from funk (vb) to smoke (tobacco), probably of French dialect origin; compare Old French funkier to smoke, from Latin fūmigāreWord Frequency
funk in British English 3
noun
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Word origin
C20: back formation from funky1Word Frequency
funk in American English 1
verb intransitive
3. Informal
to be afraid
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
< ? Fl fonck, dismay
Word Frequency
funk in American English 2
noun
3. US
a form of rhythm and blues popular since the 1970s in which highly syncopated polyrhythms are combined with a prominent, jerky bass line, minimal harmonic structure, and declamatory vocalizing
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
back-form < funkyWord Frequency
funk in American English 1
(fʌŋk)
noun
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Derived forms
funker noun
Word origin
[1735–45; perh. ‹ early D dial. fonck]Word Frequency
funk in American English 2
(fʌŋk)
noun
1.
music having a funky quality
2.
the state or quality of being funky
Most material © 2005, 1997, 1991 by Penguin Random House LLC. Modified entries © 2019
by Penguin Random House LLC and HarperCollins Publishers Ltd
Word origin
[1615–25; perh. ‹ North F dial. funquier, funquer give off smoke, ONF fungier ‹ VL fūmicāre, alter. of L fūmigāre; see fumigate]Examples of 'funk' in a sentence
funk
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In other languages
funk
British English: funk
NOUN /fʌŋk/
Funk is a style of dance music based on jazz and blues, with a strong, repeated bass part.
...a mixture of experimental jazz, soul, and funk.
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funk
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funk
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Definition of funk from the Collins English Dictionary
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